MANY people were ordered removed/deported “in absentia” (in their absence) because they did not appear at their removal hearing. However, if they were not properly notified of the hearing date, there could be hope to have the case reopened and have the removal/deportation order canceled. By law, an alien must provide the government with their…
The Philippine-American Friendship Committee, Inc. (PAFCOM), a Jersey City-based socio-civic service-oriented organization, has long journeyed and rousingly established its dedicated advocacy of providing community service and assistance programs which enormously covered various activities that have brought about effectual social well-being and sustainable assistance in many Jersey City communities. This year, as the organization turns another…
Political jousts in this country are eternally exciting, entertaining, somehow also enlightening and, from the point of view of those who become objects of vicious black propaganda attacks, absolutely infuriating. Remember the malicious tag of “Brenda” hurled against a leading presidential candidate a few years ago that was intended to put her mental faculty in…
As a common presumption goes, “one isolated incident of bad breath, like a first-time thief who is caught, permanently tarnishes the reputation, and the condemnation sticks for life.” What is halitosis? Halitosis is the medical term for bad breath. Dental reports in the United States say there are about 65 million Americans who have bad…
MANILA—Former Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) branch manager Maia Santos-Deguito denied on Monday, May 2 the money laundering charges filed against her in connection with the $80.9 million stolen by hackers from the Bangladesh Bank and laundered to the country. In a 15-page counter-affidavit, Deguito asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to dismiss the complaint…
The United States has always been a nation of immigrants. At every turn in our history, we have become stronger and closer by recognizing the richness in each of our many cultures. Nevada, like America, is stronger for its diversity – not only from the greater Asian-American and Pacific Islander community, but also the great…
The last failure of the economic elite–and their surrogates in the media and civil society– was the one involving Mrs. Arroyo. They wanted her out of power right after the 2004 elections through means fair or foul, and preferably via the Nicaraguan version of crippling the capital with massive protest actions. There were constraints, though….
WE talked about tax consequences of short sales, foreclosures, and abandonments of homes. Let us now talk about tax consequences of cancelled debt on qualified real property – including rental units. Debt forgiven from short sales, foreclosures, and abandonments creates debt relief income – taxable income, taxed at ordinary rates. Hard for property owners who…
DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte may have had the most challenging week of his campaign, just a week before the all-important presidential election in the Philippines, following allegations made by VP candidate Sen. Antonio Trillanes. Trillanes alleged that the Philippine presidential front-runner has multiple bank accounts with millions of pesos not declared in his Statement…
THESE last few days leading up to May 9—the Philippine national elections—are critical. This moment is intense as aspiring leaders are rushing to mount campaigns that will boost in public support, which in turn, they hope will manifest in actual votes. For Filipino voters, this moment is a chance for them to relish the power…
I had a wonderful time exchanging notes with the participants of my Family Business Talk last Friday at the Holiday Inn in Makati. It was a sold out event with whole families coming in droves and occupying several tables armed with loads of questions related to governance. To those who attended, many thanks! It is…
Los Angeles, CA – The Philippine American Bar Association (PABA) is saddened by the December 2015 fatal shooting of Mharloun Saycon, a Filipino-American resident of Carson. PABA, which serves the Filipino-American community in Southern California, extends our condolences to the Saycon family, and we eagerly await the results of the Long Beach Police Department and…
I was told on numerous occasions that everybody eventually turns into their parents when they grow old. I believe that now to be true as I see so much of my “Nanay” (as I fondly call her) in me – now more than ever. Things like her gestures, or when giving advice, I just can’t…
A LONGTIME theology professor of St. John’s Seminary once gave a homily that struck me. He said that in his forty years of teaching the dogmas of the Catholic Church and serving as a priest, he has seen how the Holy Spirit has played a big part in the life of the church. “Dogmas are…
CLIENT and husband are the only stockholders of an S corporation that has been doing well for the last 15 years. In fact, it’s still doing well and had a great year last year. What is the difference between and S corporation and a C corporation? In an S corporation, the business income is declared…
YOWAN Yang worked for ActioNet as an information technology technician. ActioNet is a contractor providing technical support to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Cy Tymony was another technician who worked with Yang on the same team. Yang worked four feet away from Tymony’s cubicle. On July 24, 2012, Yang and Tymony had an argument about…
MOST couples that want out of a marriage in California usually file for Divorce. There are circumstances though that allow a couple to have their marriage “voided” rather than “dissolved.” There is a big difference between the two concepts. With a voided marriage, it restores the couple to status of unmarried person as if they…
ANALOGOUS to taxpayers showing their earning statements with W2 or 1099, this year taxpayers are asked to show 1095s as their health insurance statements. Without proof of health insurance, they may have to pay a penalty. A 1095 form basically declares who is covered by a health insurance meeting the “minimum essential coverage” defined by…
IT started with a dreaded letter from the IRS. Your tax return has been selected for examination. Lately, the agent has been asking about cash transactions, safety deposit box, foreign bank accounts and even showed up with a second agent. At your doorsteps! Something is wrong. Does the agent suspect fraud? Are you being referred…
BEING in debt and doing nothing about it can have more serious consequences than you think. First of all, it can impact your financial future. Uncontrolled debt can deprive you the opportunity to put money aside for emergencies, save money for a home or college for your children, or perhaps for retirement. Every day I…
The surveys FOR the most prudent of reasons, I have never accepted as gospel truth the claims of the paid propaganda surveys on the alleged standing of our national candidates. You don’t have to, either. I have a profound respect for scientific polling, but not for polls by fraudsters who make a killing every election…
THERE are less than nine days left before you either go to a Philippine Consulate/Embassy, or mail your absentee voter’s ballot to cast your vote on the next president, vice president, senators, and other elected officials of the Philippines. Have you made up your mind on the candidates to vote for? If you are still…
Once upon a time, there was a press club in the heart of a city where everyone lived in harmony. Photographers and writers were affable and comrades among themselves. They had a clubhouse in the midst of a hill — oh, so magnificent, almost celestial but not fancy or exclusive. It was famous for its…
Filipino-American singer-composer-songwriter and record producer Eric Garzon, simply Eric G to music aficionados, is enthusiastically walking on cloud nine with the forthcoming release of his latest (actually, his third) self-produced album, ‘Black & White’ smugly loaded with six original tracks, two Tagalog and four English ditties, that took him two months to finish. “Why just…
Last week, Dr. Colin Sprigg, Director of Information and Technology in the ABC Unified School District and I strategized ways to respond to the new social media app called Ogle. We learned that ABC Unified School District along with schools from throughout California, faced a new problem caused by Ogle which targets high school and…
The one and only Philippine Superstar Nora Aunor will celebrate her 63rd birthday on Sunday, May 21. Also known as Ate Guy and/or La Aunor, Nora was born in Iriga, Camarines Sur, where she was grand champion of the Darigold Jamboree Singing Contest. She later joined “Tawag ng Tanghalan” to represent her province and was…
Dear Atty Gurfinkel: I HAVE been a green card holder for many years. Several years ago, I was convicted of a crime. I served the sentence and even had the conviction expunged (or “erased” from my record.) I would like to take a brief vacation to the Philippines to visit my family and friends. Do…
How do we know when we have heart failure? This condition could be in its early stage that the individual may not even have enough symptoms to know he/she has it. And if there are symptoms, even moderate to severe, the diagnosis usually eludes a lay person. In the United States alone, there are about…
It seems so, or the Social Weather Station’s collation of data has fallen under the control of Manuel Roxas and Leni Robredo’s operatives, so that in the past two surveys their voter-preference ratings have inexplicably surged, while those of Vice President Jejomar Binay and Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. have fallen. This could be done because of…
Although Asian Americans are widely perceived as the model minority, a new report containing disaggregated data of older adults in the ethnic group paints a completely different picture. In Los Angeles County, Asian Americans and Native Hawaiian Pacific Islanders (NHPI) aged 50 and older are the second fastest growing racial group, posting a 56 percent…
